Life: Do you do just enough to get by, or push hard?

[speeder]

Good point.

[speeder]

I'm definitely going to regret the amount of time I've spent on this BBS.

[island911]

Originally Posted by speeder

Good point.

Originally Posted by speeder

I'm definitely going to regret the amount of time I've spent on this BBS.

Weird. You just acknowledged receiving a positive idea by being on this BBS. But Then you essentially say "but this is not worth my time."

Yeah, I -get- that there is a lot of "noise" here, but there is a lot of "signal" as well.
So make a decision about the cost/value and move on w/o regret.

[speeder]

Not weird at all. The internet is infinite, yet I spend most of my time on one site that is like a saloon full of regulars. You get a nickel's worth of wisdom for every $1000 you spend on Corona goat piss.

[Seahawk]

This is a very interesting, compelling thread. I read all the posts and I have been impressed with the level of honestly, insight and life-style choices.

One size doesn't, never will, fit all.

[Drdogface]

Late in arriving at this thread but it intrigues me.. Must say that I went...and go...all out on some things...mostly my creative side, not that it's superb but it is fulfilling.

Professionally I must admit to being disillusioned with the day to day of it. I now really wish I had tried much harder to excel as many of my present day colleagues have. I have a lot of sadness about that. I never put lives or welfare of my patients at risk, mind you, but always thought I should have done more, been better and more knowledgeable.

True confessions...oh well, maybe next time around.

[jyl]

I've always been in competitive pursuits, all my life. School was a competition for grades. Law was a one-vs-one competition to win each case and beat the opposing party. Current career is a one-vs-many competition to beat the market, beat other investors (zero-sum), get high in the decile rankings.

Competition helps keep things interesting and sometimes correlates with compensation. I like it.

However, I distinguish between competing to win, and pursuing perfection. The first means you want to beat the opponents of the moment, which may require a strong performance from you, or maybe not. The latter means you want to do each element of each task as well as possible, regardless of whether it is necessary to, or makes any difference in, winning. These are related but not the same.

Personally, I compete to win, but don't necessarily try for perfection or even very good. If I can win without doing a good job, that's fine with me. If that happened all the time it might be soul-destroying, but it'd be nice if that happened more often than it does!

Why? Because I've got other things going on. My kids don't care if I achieve perfection in some aspect of my work. Neither, I suspect, will I, when I'm at the end of my life.

[RWebb]

I have to push hard just to do enough; otherwise, I do too much, which is way more than enough

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by RWebb

I have to push hard just to do enough; otherwise, I do too much, which is way more than enough

Well said, Doc

[aigel]

Originally Posted by mikeesik

Braggart.

Hey - I am having a good weekend! A positive attitude is half the game ...

G

[Superman]

Originally Posted by aigel

A positive attitude is half the game ...

G

Actually, a positive attitude is the whole game. If you think your live sucks, then it does. If you think you are the luckiest man on the planet, you are.

[widgeon13]

I've always thought that I did my best not just enough to get by. My efforts to be successful have grown over the years because I wanted more and better things for my family. As I'm retired, sort of on the downhill slide right now but still working on maintaining an excellent quality of life.

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by aigel

Hey - I am having a good weekend! A positive attitude is half the game ...

G

You just jokingly stumbled on the major factor of doing a good job at what ever you are doing... A good attitude.

My wife, and I love her, is a defeatist and I battle that in her all the time...trying to get her to be more positive.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Drdogface

You just jokingly stumbled on the major factor of doing a good job at what ever you are doing... A good attitude.

My wife, and I love her, is a defeatist and I battle that in her all the time...trying to get her to be more positive.

My last g/f - man she was unreal in so many ways but that glass half-empty routine got new real fast. Ultimately that is what turned me off from pursuing anything more than what we had.

I've always been a problem-solver - was raised that way (thanks Mom and Dad!)

I mean who goes through life without challenges? Might as well dig in and enjoy the fight....

We have a saying in sales......there's no such thing as problems...just opportunities!

[Drdogface]

Men being problem solvers gets in my way all the time. She complains and I wanna fix it...that's what men do ! "No...just listen"... No "That's what your girl friends are for"... exit left to doghouse..

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Drdogface

Men being problem solvers gets in my way all the time. She complains and I wanna fix it...that's what men do ! "No...just listen"... No "That's what your girl friends are for"... exit left to doghouse..

I must be good at that then because currently I no longer have that "problem" in my life.....

She was really something though......too bad it didn't work out....

[Brian in VA]

Ok since everyone else is being honest...
I've always driven myself very hard, and it has made me successful but at a price. I get out of the shower some days and my heart is racing from the feeling of already being behind. I lose my patience quickly sometimes with my girls. I've always told myself it'll get better later, after school, after residency, after the board exams, but I'm happy for a bit but it comes back. I'm working on it though.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by Superman

Actually, a positive attitude is the whole game. If you think your live sucks, then it does. If you think you are the luckiest man on the planet, you are.

And that sums it up. Everything else is just noise. I don't look forward & I don't look back - and I never have. I live for today. Tomorrow you can deal with whatever life throws at you & as long as you don't automatically default to worst case scenarios (the infamous . . . "but what if . . ."), you can weather it.

The Life of Brian's 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' is my theme song.

Ian

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by Brian in VA

Ok since everyone else is being honest...
I've always driven myself very hard, and it has made me successful but at a price. I get out of the shower some days and my heart is racing from the feeling of already being behind. I lose my patience quickly sometimes with my girls. I've always told myself it'll get better later, after school, after residency, after the board exams, but I'm happy for a bit but it comes back. I'm working on it though.

You are slowly killing yourself....sorry to be so blunt. Medicine is a hard career to deal with but it can be done. Get some help. Just sayin'

[Brian in VA]

Hi Mark, looking at it I think the post before was a bit melodromatic. Sometimes I feel like that, esp after a bad string of call (like the last few weeks) but all in all things are pretty good. I'm trying, don't want to go thru some of the stuff my older partners have. Anyway, tnx man.